Comments (16)

Right lets have a go at sorting this cutting edge out.Our build up play, passing and movement in midfield are clearly of the highest order and the result of hours on the training ground and a high level of skill but what happens in the final third is costing us dear. there is no doubt that we could be dragged into a relegation fight because of it and if we can sort it out we would be a play off side next season.
when we reach the edge of the box then it always breaks down for one of three reasons 1) misplaced pass 2) failure to hit the target 3) lack of understanding of where the runners are.
The failure to hit the target could be addressed by a world class striker but only the training ground will develop an awareness of each others positions and therefore buying a striker in the panic sales in January is not an option and we should work hard on developing an understanding between the link players in the midfield and the likes of Rantie, Pitman and Grabban. buying a tall striker is not an option unless he is powerful quick and good on the ground because believe you me Eddie will not start pumping balls into the box for a tall guy to get on the end of because it is not a percentage tactic. how many teams have one things at a high level doing this? maybe in league 2 but not in this division where the back lines will just tidy up all day long.so i reckon the training ground is the place to start with more link play around the box, more shooting practice and more work on the psychology of being cool under pressure in and around the danger area and use our existing players. Rantie will come good if we can get him working in tandem with the midfield and understanding where to find the space and develop opportunities in and around the box.

Right lets have a go at sorting this cutting edge out.Our build up play, passing and movement in midfield are clearly of the highest order and the result of hours on the training ground and a high level of skill but what happens in the final third is costing us dear. there is no doubt that we could be dragged into a relegation fight because of it and if we can sort it out we would be a play off side next season.
when we reach the edge of the box then it always breaks down for one of three reasons 1) misplaced pass 2) failure to hit the target 3) lack of understanding of where the runners are.
The failure to hit the target could be addressed by a world class striker but only the training ground will develop an awareness of each others positions and therefore buying a striker in the panic sales in January is not an option and we should work hard on developing an understanding between the link players in the midfield and the likes of Rantie, Pitman and Grabban. buying a tall striker is not an option unless he is powerful quick and good on the ground because believe you me Eddie will not start pumping balls into the box for a tall guy to get on the end of because it is not a percentage tactic. how many teams have one things at a high level doing this? maybe in league 2 but not in this division where the back lines will just tidy up all day long.so i reckon the training ground is the place to start with more link play around the box, more shooting practice and more work on the psychology of being cool under pressure in and around the danger area and use our existing players. Rantie will come good if we can get him working in tandem with the midfield and understanding where to find the space and develop opportunities in and around the box.North stand badger

Excellent post North stand badger, I couldn't agree more. IF we can improve that final pass/shot we could be a real force in this league. Eddie has got us so organised and playing great fluid football, it's just that final ball that goes wrong and costs us dear.

However we should remember that building a successful team takes time, and remember how far we come in the last couple of years. I'm sure it's something EH&JT are working on now, and who knows maybe next season if we can sort it we could have a very good go at this league.

Excellent post North stand badger, I couldn't agree more. IF we can improve that final pass/shot we could be a real force in this league. Eddie has got us so organised and playing great fluid football, it's just that final ball that goes wrong and costs us dear.
However we should remember that building a successful team takes time, and remember how far we come in the last couple of years. I'm sure it's something EH&JT are working on now, and who knows maybe next season if we can sort it we could have a very good go at this league.ChilledCherry

ChilledCherry wrote:
Excellent post North stand badger, I couldn't agree more. IF we can improve that final pass/shot we could be a real force in this league. Eddie has got us so organised and playing great fluid football, it's just that final ball that goes wrong and costs us dear.

However we should remember that building a successful team takes time, and remember how far we come in the last couple of years. I'm sure it's something EH&amp;JT are working on now, and who knows maybe next season if we can sort it we could have a very good go at this league.

Excellent posts, although we do need a striker with more presence, too frequently we're putting balls into the box and there's never anyone to get on the end of them, also someone to hold the ball up and lay it off for the likes of Rantie, but as it stands so much good work is fruitless without an end product. Eddie will sort it, we'll be fine this season and stronger next.... UTCIAD

[quote][p][bold]ChilledCherry[/bold] wrote:
Excellent post North stand badger, I couldn't agree more. IF we can improve that final pass/shot we could be a real force in this league. Eddie has got us so organised and playing great fluid football, it's just that final ball that goes wrong and costs us dear.
However we should remember that building a successful team takes time, and remember how far we come in the last couple of years. I'm sure it's something EH&JT are working on now, and who knows maybe next season if we can sort it we could have a very good go at this league.[/p][/quote]Excellent posts, although we do need a striker with more presence, too frequently we're putting balls into the box and there's never anyone to get on the end of them, also someone to hold the ball up and lay it off for the likes of Rantie, but as it stands so much good work is fruitless without an end product. Eddie will sort it, we'll be fine this season and stronger next.... UTCIADAfcbpete

a couple of matches ago Josh McQuoid was fit enough to be on the bench since that time he has again vanished, the reason we sold him to Millwall was because he was turning into a decent striker, surely it would be worth a go playing him alongside Grabban, Eddie if you are finding it difficult to find the striker you want then at least make the most of what you have

a couple of matches ago Josh McQuoid was fit enough to be on the bench since that time he has again vanished, the reason we sold him to Millwall was because he was turning into a decent striker, surely it would be worth a go playing him alongside Grabban, Eddie if you are finding it difficult to find the striker you want then at least make the most of what you havedevon fan

N.S.Badger should be a coach. What a great post. Don't get me wrong, I felt so proud to be a season ticket holder at my local club on Saturday. However, what frustrated me was we played one up front and so many times we wondered why when the "one" played down the side, crossed the ball there was no one to receive it.

Surely either Grabbs should have stayed in the middle or somebody replaced him when he was being "winger".

I admit that unlike Badger I am never going to be thought of f as a potential coach but I simply have an opinion.

UTCIAD

N.S.Badger should be a coach. What a great post. Don't get me wrong, I felt so proud to be a season ticket holder at my local club on Saturday. However, what frustrated me was we played one up front and so many times we wondered why when the "one" played down the side, crossed the ball there was no one to receive it.
Surely either Grabbs should have stayed in the middle or somebody replaced him when he was being "winger".
I admit that unlike Badger I am never going to be thought of f as a potential coach but I simply have an opinion.
UTCIADafcbtintin

afcbtintin wrote:
N.S.Badger should be a coach. What a great post. Don't get me wrong, I felt so proud to be a season ticket holder at my local club on Saturday. However, what frustrated me was we played one up front and so many times we wondered why when the &quot;one" played down the side, crossed the ball there was no one to receive it.

Surely either Grabbs should have stayed in the middle or somebody replaced him when he was being "winger".

I admit that unlike Badger I am never going to be thought of f as a potential coach but I simply have an opinion.

UTCIAD

Well i do have a level 2 in cricket coaching but never got involved in football coaching mainly because the parents would scare me . I get frustrated with the fans around me shouting "get it in the box" and having a go at Rantie when we need a bit of patience with the development of this team. Eddie has got us to a position where we can out pass a Premiership team essentially with the players he has inherited so i cant see any reason why he wont address the attacking side of our game but probably not until next season when he will have added to the squad and continued the training ground work with them.
I cant see relegation this season being an issue with this level of performance.

[quote][p][bold]afcbtintin[/bold] wrote:
N.S.Badger should be a coach. What a great post. Don't get me wrong, I felt so proud to be a season ticket holder at my local club on Saturday. However, what frustrated me was we played one up front and so many times we wondered why when the "one" played down the side, crossed the ball there was no one to receive it.
Surely either Grabbs should have stayed in the middle or somebody replaced him when he was being "winger".
I admit that unlike Badger I am never going to be thought of f as a potential coach but I simply have an opinion.
UTCIAD[/p][/quote]Well i do have a level 2 in cricket coaching but never got involved in football coaching mainly because the parents would scare me . I get frustrated with the fans around me shouting "get it in the box" and having a go at Rantie when we need a bit of patience with the development of this team. Eddie has got us to a position where we can out pass a Premiership team essentially with the players he has inherited so i cant see any reason why he wont address the attacking side of our game but probably not until next season when he will have added to the squad and continued the training ground work with them.
I cant see relegation this season being an issue with this level of performance.North stand badger

Some thoughtful and constructive posts. I do agree with Devon fan that Josh was developing into a potent striker before he left for Millwall and unless he has picked up another injury I am suprised he is not involved particularly as Rantie is looking increasingly ineffective even as an 'impact' sub.

Some thoughtful and constructive posts. I do agree with Devon fan that Josh was developing into a potent striker before he left for Millwall and unless he has picked up another injury I am suprised he is not involved particularly as Rantie is looking increasingly ineffective even as an 'impact' sub.kentcherry

I'm sure Eddie is doing what he said he wanted this year which was to consolidate in this league. I also think he is trying not to panic buy in this transfer window and get through to the summer when better deals will be available. I also think (hope) we are good enough to do this. Building a competitive team with our support base will be difficult with the ffp rules we have now, probably why there is strong rumors of a new stadium on the cards. We have to remember it's a long distance race not a sprint if we can stay up this season its job done as far as I'm concerned. If we can keep the players we got we are 2 goal poachers away from a very good team.

I'm sure Eddie is doing what he said he wanted this year which was to consolidate in this league. I also think he is trying not to panic buy in this transfer window and get through to the summer when better deals will be available. I also think (hope) we are good enough to do this. Building a competitive team with our support base will be difficult with the ffp rules we have now, probably why there is strong rumors of a new stadium on the cards. We have to remember it's a long distance race not a sprint if we can stay up this season its job done as far as I'm concerned. If we can keep the players we got we are 2 goal poachers away from a very good team.swanagecherrie

Having watched the Liverpool game on TV. It was clear from quite early on that we were very unlikely to score. Our approach play was as others have said excellent and at times a joy to watch but the decision making around the box was very poor. When we got a cross in there was very often no one anywhere near it. No onrushing forwards or midfielders to latch on to something.

We never genuinely stretched or turned the Liverpool defence they were always able to defend in front of themselves rather than facing their own goal.

Having said all of the above I was still very proud of the way we played we tried to play football instead of hoofing it as many teams would have done.

The good news is that if we can sign a decent goalscorer we could challenge as play-off contenders next season

Having watched the Liverpool game on TV. It was clear from quite early on that we were very unlikely to score. Our approach play was as others have said excellent and at times a joy to watch but the decision making around the box was very poor. When we got a cross in there was very often no one anywhere near it. No onrushing forwards or midfielders to latch on to something.
We never genuinely stretched or turned the Liverpool defence they were always able to defend in front of themselves rather than facing their own goal.
Having said all of the above I was still very proud of the way we played we tried to play football instead of hoofing it as many teams would have done.
The good news is that if we can sign a decent goalscorer we could challenge as play-off contenders next seasonyokel cherry

North stand badger wrote:
Right lets have a go at sorting this cutting edge out.Our build up play, passing and movement in midfield are clearly of the highest order and the result of hours on the training ground and a high level of skill but what happens in the final third is costing us dear. there is no doubt that we could be dragged into a relegation fight because of it and if we can sort it out we would be a play off side next season. when we reach the edge of the box then it always breaks down for one of three reasons 1) misplaced pass 2) failure to hit the target 3) lack of understanding of where the runners are. The failure to hit the target could be addressed by a world class striker but only the training ground will develop an awareness of each others positions and therefore buying a striker in the panic sales in January is not an option and we should work hard on developing an understanding between the link players in the midfield and the likes of Rantie, Pitman and Grabban. buying a tall striker is not an option unless he is powerful quick and good on the ground because believe you me Eddie will not start pumping balls into the box for a tall guy to get on the end of because it is not a percentage tactic. how many teams have one things at a high level doing this? maybe in league 2 but not in this division where the back lines will just tidy up all day long.so i reckon the training ground is the place to start with more link play around the box, more shooting practice and more work on the psychology of being cool under pressure in and around the danger area and use our existing players. Rantie will come good if we can get him working in tandem with the midfield and understanding where to find the space and develop opportunities in and around the box.

Everyone will agree with that as it's what we have all been saying for months, sorry but nothing in that post that we don't already know

[quote][p][bold]North stand badger[/bold] wrote:
Right lets have a go at sorting this cutting edge out.Our build up play, passing and movement in midfield are clearly of the highest order and the result of hours on the training ground and a high level of skill but what happens in the final third is costing us dear. there is no doubt that we could be dragged into a relegation fight because of it and if we can sort it out we would be a play off side next season. when we reach the edge of the box then it always breaks down for one of three reasons 1) misplaced pass 2) failure to hit the target 3) lack of understanding of where the runners are. The failure to hit the target could be addressed by a world class striker but only the training ground will develop an awareness of each others positions and therefore buying a striker in the panic sales in January is not an option and we should work hard on developing an understanding between the link players in the midfield and the likes of Rantie, Pitman and Grabban. buying a tall striker is not an option unless he is powerful quick and good on the ground because believe you me Eddie will not start pumping balls into the box for a tall guy to get on the end of because it is not a percentage tactic. how many teams have one things at a high level doing this? maybe in league 2 but not in this division where the back lines will just tidy up all day long.so i reckon the training ground is the place to start with more link play around the box, more shooting practice and more work on the psychology of being cool under pressure in and around the danger area and use our existing players. Rantie will come good if we can get him working in tandem with the midfield and understanding where to find the space and develop opportunities in and around the box.[/p][/quote]Everyone will agree with that as it's what we have all been saying for months, sorry but nothing in that post that we don't already knowabc100

yokel cherry wrote:
Having watched the Liverpool game on TV. It was clear from quite early on that we were very unlikely to score. Our approach play was as others have said excellent and at times a joy to watch but the decision making around the box was very poor. When we got a cross in there was very often no one anywhere near it. No onrushing forwards or midfielders to latch on to something.

We never genuinely stretched or turned the Liverpool defence they were always able to defend in front of themselves rather than facing their own goal.

Having said all of the above I was still very proud of the way we played we tried to play football instead of hoofing it as many teams would have done.

The good news is that if we can sign a decent goalscorer we could challenge as play-off contenders next season

If we had genuinely stretched or turned the Liverpool defence as you say, then I think Brendan Rogers would be a manager with big problems.
A lot of people seem to have lost sight of the fact we were up against one of the top four sides in the premier league and things for us could have been a lot worse.
My feeling is that we were absolutely great all things considered.

[quote][p][bold]yokel cherry[/bold] wrote:
Having watched the Liverpool game on TV. It was clear from quite early on that we were very unlikely to score. Our approach play was as others have said excellent and at times a joy to watch but the decision making around the box was very poor. When we got a cross in there was very often no one anywhere near it. No onrushing forwards or midfielders to latch on to something.
We never genuinely stretched or turned the Liverpool defence they were always able to defend in front of themselves rather than facing their own goal.
Having said all of the above I was still very proud of the way we played we tried to play football instead of hoofing it as many teams would have done.
The good news is that if we can sign a decent goalscorer we could challenge as play-off contenders next season[/p][/quote]If we had genuinely stretched or turned the Liverpool defence as you say, then I think Brendan Rogers would be a manager with big problems.
A lot of people seem to have lost sight of the fact we were up against one of the top four sides in the premier league and things for us could have been a lot worse.
My feeling is that we were absolutely great all things considered.Deejaycee